Family, ready made
by Avvolto
Summary: One Dr. Cullen, single adoptive father, One Bella Swan, single high school English Teacher, Four Teenage Vampire kids, One ER visit, A few romantic dates, to tastes, Mix all ingredients well and you have Family, ready made! Vamp/Human Twi AU
1. Chapter 1

Carlisle Cullen sighed as he made his way to the ER bed where his last patient of the day would be.

He knew he shouldn't be, but he was preoccupied with thoughts of his children who were, hopefully, waiting at home for him. He wondered who he may have to punish tonight. Lately, it seemed that there was always at least one of them who had misbehaved to such an extent that it warranted a punishment and he was becoming very concerned by that.

Arriving at the room that contained his last patient, he took a deep breath, hoping to clear his mind of his concerns so that he could focus solely on the patient. The scent that seized him with the breath he took however, had his mind reeling for he was almost certain that he had just found his true mate.

Knocking lightly on the wall as a courtesy before pulling back the curtain, he entered the space with a smile.

He glanced at the chart in his hand before speaking. "Hello Miss Swan. I'm Dr. Cullen." He held out a hand and she shook it as she smiled, her eyes, he noticed, had widened, the pupils dilated. Interesting. It seemed that she was reacting to him just as he had reacted to her.

He moved to the corner, grabbing the stool and sitting. "So, we're seeing you today for a possible sprain in your left ankle?"

She blushed a bit and nodded. "Yes, I am a notorious klutz, so this is not the first time it's happened to me, nor will it be the last, I'm sure."

She chuckled as he rose and washed his hands before examining her. He sat back down and rolled a bit closer. "Let's have a look, and then we'll send you off to x-ray."

She lifted her leg and he held it gently as he palpated the swollen ankle carefully. "Well, I don't believe that anything is broken, but we'll take an x-ray just to be sure. It is quite a nasty sprain though. You'll be on crutches until you're comfortable bearing weight on it again."

He lowered her leg. "How did you injure it?"

She blushed again and shrugged a shoulder. "I was walking down the stairs in front of the high school where I teach." She looked up and smiled. "Your children are wonderful, by the way, especially Edward and Jasper. Don't tell anyone, but they're my favorites. So polite and helpful and sweet."

His brows rose as she spoke and he laughed quietly. "Are you sure you're speaking of my sons, because those two cause more trouble than all the rest combined."

She grinned. "Oh yes, I've seen their files but I'm certain that they're your sons."

He rolled back over to the counter and her open chart, making notations as he spoke. "Well, it's refreshing to hear something positive about them. I know they aren't too terrible, but they seem to get into any mischief they can think up and it gets very tiring."

She laughed. "Well, at 14 and 15, it's sort of in their job description."

He chuckled and looked down, nodding. "Yes, I guess it is. I'll just be glad when they are through this stage. It's very difficult to deal with on my own, especially since I have to work such long hours."

"Does your wife work too then?"

He glanced up at her and she blushed. "Forgive me. That's a personal question and I shouldn't pry."

He smiled a small smile. "It's quite all right. This is such a small town that I'm surprised you don't already know."

He turned back to her chart to finish his notations. "My wife left me five months ago. She said that my long hours and the stress from the kids were just too much and she didn't want to deal with any of it any longer."

Bella frowned. "Oh god, that's terrible. I'm sorry."

He smiled a wan smile. "No need, really. It's much better for all of us that she was honest about what she felt rather than staying, potentially venting her anger on the kids." He shrugged. "She moved on and we're dealing with it."

He stood, closing her chart and sliding it back into the file holder on the wall. "The nurse will be by in a while to take you to x-ray. As soon as that's done and I've looked at it, I'll wrap that ankle for you and you can be on your way."

She shook his hand. "Thank you Dr. Cullen."

"My pleasure Miss Swan. I'll see you in a bit."

He left, drawing the curtain shut and Bella let out the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Good god, she knew his children were beautiful but he was…...perfect. It was the only word that came to her mind when she thought about the hunky Doctor. Absolutely perfect. She sighed dreamily and the nurse who had just entered laughed. "Yes my dear. Dr. Cullen has that effect on every female that he encounters and some of the males too."

Bella smirked as she hopped into the wheel chair. "I bet he does. I'm shocked that you aren't swamped constantly by teen girls, injuring themselves just to see him."

The nurse chuckled. "Don't laugh but there are a few that have been suspect. The most common injury for teen girls around here are sprained ankles or mystery aches and pains in a knee."

Bella shook her head. "Great. I'd better make sure not to injure a knee any time soon then. Wouldn't want to be grouped in with the fan girls."

The nurse laughed and patted her shoulder. "It's a diverse group, believe me. Ever since his wife took leave of her senses and left him, it's only gotten worse. I don't know how the poor man deals with it all, but he does, with grace and dignity. He's an amazing man under the hot looks. He's one of the rare ones, for sure."

The nurse rolled her up to the table in x-ray. "Well, gossip time is over as this is the end of the road for me. The tech will be with you in a few. Take care."

Bella waved a hand. "Thanks for the lift."  
The x-ray didn't take long and she was now back in the same room she'd been in, waiting for the Doctor to see her one last time. She didn't have long to wait as she heard the light knock on the wall as the curtain moved aside and he entered with a smile. "Well, just as I thought, there's nothing broken, so I'll wrap it and you can get out of here. Did you have any questions for me?"

He washed his hands and sat on the stool, rolling up to her again as she answered.

"No, like I told you, this isn't my first rodeo. I'm a pro at looking after bumps and bruises. I haven't perfected the use of crutches yet though. They seem to confound me every time. Seems that I can't operate them and carry all the crap I need for classes in the morning." She sighed.

He smiled as he wrapped her ankle. "I'm sure that you have students that will offer. I'll mention it to my boys. Emmett and Rosalie can get them there early enough to meet you and help."

"Thank you Dr. Cullen, that's very kind of you."

He glanced up at her as he finished up the wrap. "It won't be a problem. They have enough time to get into trouble most mornings, so this will give them something productive to do and hopefully keep them out of detention."  
She scrunched her nose up and he thought it was adorable. "They end up there a lot, huh?"

He stood and made some final notes in her chart. "Yes, unfortunately. This past year has been particularly bad."

"Well then, I'll just make it my mission to find things for them to do when they aren't in classes. There are always things that I could use help with and I'm always up for free labor."

He laughed and turned to face her. "Good. If they seem reluctant, don't give them a choice and I'll back you up at home."

She smirked. "Oh, I have my ways Doctor. They'll be there willingly, trust me. I'd rather not deal with surly teen boys if I can avoid it."

He closed her chart and placed it in the holder for the nurse. "Well, if you don't have any questions for me, I'm off to do paperwork and then to home."

She shook her head. "No, no questions here. Thank you and it was nice meeting you."

He inclined his head. "Likewise Miss Swan. Take care of yourself."

He turned and left and she sighed again, eyeing the dreaded crutches with disdain.

Carlisle tossed the white coat into the basket for the cleaners and grabbed his jacket. It was finally time for him to get out of here and go home and he looked forward to it and dreaded it in equal measure.

He loved his kids. He really did, but the situations that he sometimes had to deal with when he got home were less than pleasant and lately, that had been an every day occurrence.

Making his way toward the exit, he was surprised to see Miss Swan sitting in the waiting area. His true mate. He still couldn't quite believe it and wasn't sure what to do about it either as his last relationship had left him a bit gun shy to be quite honest. He knew that he couldn't just leave her sitting there though and so he approached.

"Do you have a ride home Miss Swan?"

He cringed mentally when she jumped, losing her grip on the book she had been reading, which he caught just before it hit the floor.

He smiled as he handed her book back. "My apologies for startling you."

She waved a hand in the air. "I should know better than to get so absorbed into a book. I do it all the time at school and the kids just love to scare the hell out of me when I'm reading. They find it funny for some reason." She smirked and he chuckled.

"I can see where they would find it amusing."

"As for your question, I'm having to wait for my Dad to get off work before he can come and get me. My truck is a manual transmission, and the clutch is not within the realm of possibility for me at the moment."

"I was just leaving. If you like, I can take you home."

"Oh, you don't need to trouble yourself. I'm perfectly fine right here with my book until my father gets here, really."

"It's really no trouble. You live close to your father?"

She blushed. "I actually live with him for the time being. I'm trying to save for a house."

He smiled. "That decides it then. I go right by there on my way out of town, so you see? No trouble at all."

She bit her plump bottom lip in thought making Carlisle want to experience just how plump and soft that lip is.

"Well, okay, if it's really no trouble, then I accept. Thank you."

She put her book in her bag and he took it from her as she struggled with the crutches.

They slowly made their way out to his car and he chuckled as he glanced askance at her. "You really are quite terrible with those aren't you?"

She smirked. "Oh, this is me at my best with these things. Trust me, it gets much worse at times. Stairs are almost impossible. I'm dreading the stairs at home and at school. My dad can help me at home, but at school…"

"My boys will help you. I'll make sure they know to meet you in the parking lot. Speaking of, how will you be getting to work if you can't drive your truck?"

He opened the door to his car for her and she sat, handing him the crutches. "I'm trading vehicles with my friend for a week or two. It's a tiny piece of crap car, but it's an automatic, so I can't really complain."

He stowed the crutches in the back seat and got into the car, starting it up. "Well, let me know if that doesn't work out for some reason and we'll figure something out."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression for a moment. "Really Dr. Cullen, you've done enough for me already, just with the ride home and the future help from your boys. I couldn't ask you for anything else. I appreciate the offer though."

If Carlisle could have blushed, he would have. He realized that he was coming on a bit strong for having just met her but he couldn't seem to help himself. He had a need to provide and protect and he knew that particular compulsion would never abate. He would just have to be very careful in how he approached her from now on.

"I apologize if I've been too forward. I know we just met, but…." He sighed in defeat. Perhaps he should go with a half truth for now? He glanced at her and she was studying him closely. Half truth it is then.

"What I'm trying to say is that I really like you and I would love it if you would consent to having dinner with me sometime." He looked at her as he stopped at a red light.

"So will you? Have dinner with me?"

She smiled shyly. "I think I would like that very much."

He grinned as he continued on from the green light.

She held up her index finger. "But, not until I can make my way around without crutches."

He nodded. "Perfectly understandable. I shall look forward to your speedy recovery."

She smiled. "So shall I." 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Don't own the characters. Do own the plot. Don't make any money from this. Do appreciate reviews. Happy reading!**

* * *

**~o0o~**

Carlisle was in a rare good mood when he arrived home after dropping Bella off at her father's home. It was unfortunate that it wouldn't last.

He entered through the front door and was immediately in the midst of a heated argument between his two youngest.

He hung his head and sighed, closing his eyes in a futile prayer for patience.

The squabbling continued and he raised his head, an ear-piercing whistle passing his lips, instantly stopping all activity as both boys froze, wide-eyed stares pinned to their father.

The silence didn't last long though as both boys rushed to vent their grievances, loudly and at the same time, until another whistle rent the air from their father.

"Enough! I've barely made it through the door and I already have to deal with you two. This has to stop boys. I won't tolerate it any longer. Go to your rooms immediately without uttering another word. I will deal with you both after I've settled in. No games, no computer, no electronics, period. You may do any homework that you have or read a book if your school work is complete, but those are your only options. Is that clear?"

Jasper hung his head. "Yes sir."

Edward though wasn't close to being through. "But Dad! It's not fair that I'm in trouble! He went into my room and took a CD! I know he did!"

Jasper's head shot up. "I didn't take your shitty CD!"

"Jasper!"

He turned toward his father looking angry while Edward smirked. "Yes sir?"

"Go to your room now son. Don't make this any worse on yourself than it already is."

Jasper shot a glare at his younger brother and raced up the stairs to his room, the slamming of a door marking his passage.

Carlisle eyed his youngest who was staring at the floor, smirk still firmly in place.

"You seem to be happy about something son. Care to share?"

Edward's head shot up, his face all wide-eyed and innocent. "No Dad."

"You can stop trying to sell me that son, because I'm not buying." He pointed to the stairs. "Up to your room now. I'll deal with you in a bit."

Edward hung his head and moped out of the room. "Yes sir."

Carlisle made his way to his study, put away his bag and took a seat at his desk, holding his head in both hands as he thought about the past and how his life had arrived at this point.

He'd met Esme when she came in as a patient with a broken leg at the age of 16. She'd seemed to hound him ceaselessly from that moment on until her parents stepped in and arranged a marriage for her. The marriage hadn't turned out well.

She'd come to see Carlisle a few scant times over the course of it and he'd felt terrible at what she was going through. It seemed that her husband liked to knock her around when he'd come home from the gentlemen's club, drunk.

Despite all of that, she'd gotten pregnant and was thrilled at the prospect. Carlisle was happy that she'd finally achieved some sort of contentment with her life but it wouldn't last. She'd lost the baby just after he was born, and jumped from a cliff, trying to kill herself.

He'd found her in the morgue of the hospital he worked in, seemingly dead, but he detected a very weak and unsteady heartbeat and so, in a spur of the moment decision, he'd taken her and changed her. They'd gotten married a couple of years after that and things had been relatively good between them, but she'd always mourned her childless life.

That had all changed when they'd gone to visit Volterra in the mid 1970's. Aro had excitedly told them about a new program that the Volturi had set up to place child vampires with adult vampires that wished to parent them. These children were all just over the age of the forbidden immortal children, but not old enough to possess an adult mindset or take care of themselves properly without supervision. In the past, the Volturi had regrettably destroyed such children, but now they took them in until they could be placed with 'parents'.

Esme had instantly wanted to jump at the opportunity, but Carlisle had been reluctant. This wasn't the usual parental commitment after all. These kids would never grow up and become independent. They were forever frozen in time, adolescent mindsets and all.

She'd persisted though and they had adopted Emmett and Rose first who had both been changed at the ages of 15, just one year under the Volturi requirement of 16 to be independent.

Rose and Emmett had lived with them for a year and things had been wonderful after they all had adjusted to each other and their new roles within a family, but Esme was disappointed with how independent both kids were and begged Carlisle for another trip to Volterra and the prospect of more children. She'd wanted younger kids this time and after two months of discussions and arguments, he'd given in and they'd gone back to Volterra.

Esme had found little Edward almost immediately and fallen in love. He'd been turned at the tender age of 13, but could pass for being a young looking 15 if he chose to. The problem was, he rarely chose to. It seemed that he was a bit of a mischief-maker and Carlisle was dreading that fact, as it was obvious to him that Esme had made up her mind, and wouldn't leave Volterra without him.

Carlisle's eye had been caught by a blond boy sitting off in an alcove, quietly reading a book. It seemed to him that peace and contentment surrounded this boy and he was drawn to him.

He'd gone over and talked to the boy, whose name was Jasper, for hours and they'd both enjoyed it immensely, a bond forming between them almost instantly.

He'd asked Jasper to join their family and be his son and he'd agreed, embracing Carlisle tightly as he uttered a quiet 'thank you'.

At 14, Jasper was just a year older than Edward when he'd been turned, but he was much more laid back in personality than his younger brother. He was a very patient child too and not quick to anger, but when he did become angry, it was a fearsome thing to behold and everyone got to experience it due to his gift.

He was a very powerful empath, and that was usually a pleasant bonus when he was feeling peaceful, happy and content. But, when he was angry….well, that wasn't so pleasant but that was all a part of Jasper and Carlisle loved him. He couldn't love him any more even if he'd been of his own flesh. He loved all of his children, but Jasper would always hold a special place in his heart.

Three of the kids had adjusted very well to his diet, much to Carlisle's shock. They had told the kids upfront about it, giving them the option of not accepting their adoption or of living on bagged human blood, but Emmett, Rose and Edward had taken to the animal diet and done very well.

Jasper had tried it and hadn't done well at all. He'd had no control, over his thirst or his gift and it had been very hard on the whole family, especially when Jasper had slipped and they'd had to move hastily. Carlisle had finally had to concede that the animal diet wasn't the best for every vampire and had put Jasper back on a human blood diet. He was just very thankful that he had ready access to bagged blood as a doctor.

They'd lived their lives in relative contentment for the next several years or at least, Carlisle had thought so. He and Esme had their problems over the years, but he'd always thought that was a normal part of any relationship, especially one that had lasted so many years.

Needless to say, he'd been beyond shocked when, just months ago, she'd come to him and told him that she was leaving. That she couldn't deal with the kids' squabbles or his long work hours any longer, and that she wanted to go live a peaceful life by herself for a time. She assured him that there wasn't another male involved, and that it was a simple matter of her being 'fed up' with their life together.

Was he bitter and angry about that? You bet your ass he was. He felt betrayed and abandoned and he was certain that the kids felt the same way, especially Edward. He had been the closest to Esme. He just seemed to need a mother, and she'd been the closest thing he'd ever had to that even though she'd always seemed a bit detached. She'd even called him by the name of her dead baby son a few times over the years and he was always crushed by that, Carlisle could tell. For a time after each such instance, Edward's behavior would always take a turn for the worst and he always seemed to take Jasper down with him.

This type of acting out is what they were experiencing now, he was sure, and he didn't know how to fix it. In the past, Esme had always apologized to him profusely and lavished attention on him for weeks until he'd settled again, but now, there wasn't a mother figure around to do that and Edward was in rare form.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, he figured it was time to go deal with his boys. He'd put it off long enough.

He made his way to Edward's room first, knocking on the door before entering. He sighed as he watched Edward stow his iPod quickly under his pillow.

"Son, I know that you were present when I said no electronics. Give me the iPod please."

Edward scowled. "But Dad, it's only music! It helps me get my schoolwork done!"

"It is not "only music" son. It has facebook, games and chat capabilities. I may be old Edward but I'm not stupid or ignorant of what you do."

He held out a hand for the iPod and waited as Edward grumbled and reluctantly handed it over.

"What did you say son? I didn't quite catch that."

His son glared at him. "I said your rules are stupid and unfair."

Carlisle sat in the chair at Edward's desk. "Tell me son, was it right of you to fight with your brother earlier this evening?"

Edward glared at his bedspread. "No sir."

"So, should I just let you get away with breaking the rules then? Just let you do as you please, even though what you're doing is wrong?"

"No sir."

Carlisle nodded. "Then you agree that you should be punished for breaking the rules?"

Edward shot him a dark look. "It depends."

Carlisle's brows rose as he chuckled. "Does it? On what pray tell?"

"On whether the punishment fits the offense! Taking away everything isn't fair Dad!"

"Tell me Edward, if a person is completely happy and content with a so-called punishment, is it really a punishment at that point?" Carlisle held up a hand. "No need to answer. It was a rhetorical question meant to make a point. I know you know the correct answer."

Edward scowled and turned his face away.

"Now, since we have established that you are due a punishment, is there anything else I should take into consideration when I decide on just what it should consist of?"

Edward scoffed. "No."

Carlisle stared at his youngest, waiting.

Edward's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Well, I got detention again."

Carlisle nodded. He already knew this from the memo he'd found on his desk from the secretary earlier in the day. He'd just been hoping that his son would be honest with him. He was relieved that he'd made the right choice. It still didn't negate the fact that he, once again, had detention for acting out in school.

"I'm grateful that you were honest about that Edward. Thank you. Now, just why did you get detention this time son?"

Edward scowled, fully defiant once again. "Because I called the teacher stupid."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, that's bad enough, but did you do anything else?"

Edward shrugged as he glared at his lap. "Yeah."

Carlisle sighed when there was no more forthcoming. "Care to share what that was son?"

"Not particularly."

Carlisle shook his head sadly. "You are not helping your case at all here son. My patience is not unlimited and your defiance is wearing it very thin. Your behavior with me this evening is becoming disrespectful Edward. I'm very disappointed and frankly hurt by that."

Edward looked up at his father, confusion clear in his expression. "Hurt? Why?"

"Because I love you son and I would hope that you love me enough to want to be honest and forthcoming when I ask you about something. Right now, you're not doing that and yes, it makes me angry, but more than that, it's hurts."

Edward sagged, the defiance finally leaving him, with shame taking its place. "I'm sorry Dad. It just never occurred to me that you would be hurt by anything I did."

Carlisle remained silent and Edward sighed. "I got three days detention for calling the teacher stupid, but then I laughed and ripped up the slip in front of the whole class when he gave it to me and so he sent me to the office and I got another weeks worth from the principal."

Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before meeting his son's eyes.

"Edward, why son? Why do you continue to do such things? Do you realize that if things become bad enough that the Volturi will step in? The reports that they receive contain all of this information and if this doesn't stop or at least decrease in frequency or severity, they will declare you a risk to our secrecy laws and they will act! There will be nothing I can do at that point. I love you Edward, and I don't want to lose you. Will you help me in this son?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah Dad. I'm sorry and I'll stop being such a shit at school."

"Edward, your choice of language isn't encouraging, and don't think for a moment that I failed to notice that you qualified that statement with 'at school'. Your behavior also needs to improve here at home. You can't continue to fight with your brother the way you do."

Edward scowled. "But he comes in here and just takes things Dad, and then he denies it! It's Bullshit! You need to punish him for stealing my CD!"

"Edward, I tire of warning you about your language. Don't make me add to your punishment because of it."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now, on the subject of your missing CD, have you looked for it thoroughly?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Of course I have."

Carlisle nodded and rose from the chair, looking around the cluttered room. "Well, it seems that the first thing you need to do is clean this room. I bet there are many missing items that will be found once that is done. You may begin as soon as we are done here."

Edward threw himself back on the bed. "Aww Dad. I fucking hate cleaning."

Carlisle nodded. "Good. You'll do it anyway, and I'll check later this evening to be sure it's done properly. Also, I warned you about your language. You have now forfeited a weeks worth of allowance. Any more foul words from you will cost you a weeks worth for each. Am I clear?"

Edward sat up, looking dejected. "Yes sir."

"Good, now as far as your punishment for the detention….."

He trailed off as Edward interrupted, loudly. "What?! Detention IS punishment! Why should I get punished for being punished?! That's bullshit!"

Carlisle was losing his patience and he knew it was time to wrap this up.

"That will be two weeks allowance son, and you're being punished for getting into trouble at school, not for the detention, per se. But then I'm sure you know that Edward. You're not obtuse. So, as I was saying, for your willful misbehavior at school, you will be doing all outside ground maintenance here at home for the next month. I don't want to see even one tiny weed out there son, do you understand?"

"Yes sir" Edward growled, a dark scowl on his face.

"Excellent. Now then, before I take my leave, let's just do a quick search for this missing CD, shall we?"

~o0o~

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~o0o~

Carlisle shook his head and blew out a breath as he left his youngest's room. God in heaven, what trials that kid put him through these days! He was almost ready to give up some days, but he loved his son, so he would ride this out and just pray it got better sooner rather than later.

He took a few moments just standing in the hall, trying to calm and center himself before approaching his empathic son for their talk.

The missing CD issue had been resolved by finding the thing where it had fallen behind the bookcase in Edward's room. Edward now owed his brother an apology, but it would wait until later, when all of their discussions and evening chores were done. It was Carlisle's hope that by then, tempers would have cooled and it would be a peaceful resolution. He sighed. It was nice to dream anyway.

He chuckled ruefully and went to Jasper's room. He knocked lightly and entered.

Jasper looked up from his book. "Hi Dad. I'm sorry. I just…" He looked away and sighed. "I just get so mad at him sometimes Dad. I swear I could just beat the crap outta him these days. He's always coming at me about something and I don't know how to just walk away anymore."

Carlisle's heart clenched as he watched Jasper hang his head, both hands running through the blond waves, his frustration and misery literally palpable.

"Come here son." He held his arms open and Jasper threw himself into them, hanging onto his father tightly, soaking up all the love he could feel coming from him.

Carlisle laid his cheek over on his son's head as he held him tight. Moments like this absolutely filled his heart and made it all worth it. He wouldn't trade this for the world and he hoped that his son could feel it.

He laughed in quiet joy a few seconds later when he heard Jasper mumble against his chest. "I love you too, Dad."

He broke their embrace and ruffled his son's hair, laughing as Jasper rolled his eyes. "Dad! Not my hair.

He shook his head in that teen boy way and finger combed it back into stylish disarray.

Carlisle smiled. "Forgive me son. It was done with utmost affection."

Jasper smirked. "Yeah, I know. But still….."

They both took seats, Jasper on his bed and Carlisle at the desk chair. "You'll be happy to know that we located the missing CD behind the bookcase in your brother's room."

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that."

Carlisle sat back and sighed. "Tell me son, in that case, why didn't you simply volunteer to help him look for it?"

Jasper looked incredulous. "Because the little shit would have just claimed that I slipped it back there when he wasn't lookin' or somethin'! He's always blaming and accusing me Dad and I'm sick of it!"

"Jasper, this is your only warning about your language. The next time will cost you a weeks allowance. Understand?"

Carlisle saw the muscles in his son's jaw twitch as he looked away, but when his answer came it was mild and respectful. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now, I understand your reluctance to involve yourself with Edward, these days especially. I know that he has been difficult to live with since your mother left."

Jasper whipped his head toward his father, his red eyes blazing. "She's not my mother and never has been. She was the most self-centered female I've ever felt Dad. She loved only herself and she only wanted kids the way humans want dogs and cats."

Carlisle sighed. "I'm realizing that now son, and I'm sorry. I know that you kids deserve a true family….."

He trailed off as Jasper launched himself at him. "No Dad! You're the best Dad ever and I wouldn't change a thing. I love you and it doesn't matter that she's gone. Not to me anyway. I'm happy she's gone, with the exception that she hurt you when she left."

Carlisle hugged his beloved son close. "Thank you for that Jas. You're the light of my life, you know that?"

Jasper sat back on the floor and smiled. "Yeah, I know."

Carlisle laughed. "Well then, I guess just the fun part to this discussion is left. Your punishment."

He smiled as his mercurial teen son's face morphed instantly into a scowl. "Yeah, I guess so."

"One week with no electronics. You may have your cell phone during the school day, but only for emergencies. It's to be placed on my desk when you arrive home."

Jasper nodded and sighed. "Yes sir."

"Please son, try not to argue and fight with your brother? I realize it's very difficult, but he has agreed to change his ways and it's my hope that his willful misbehavior at home and at school will be a thing of the past."

Jasper met his father's eyes. "I'll do my best Dad."

"Good. That's all I can ask. Now, one other thing before I let you get back to your book. I met one of your teachers at the hospital today; a Miss Swan. She sprained her ankle and requires help carrying her things and navigating stairs. She's on crutches. I told her that you and your brother will help her. Can you do that for me son?"

Jasper nodded, a knowing smirk blooming on his face. "Of course Dad. Gotta make the old man look good."

Carlisle laughed and dove for his son's hair. Jasper dodged, quick as lightning. "Come back here you little shit!"

Jasper turned, laughing, his hand held out. "That'll be one weeks allowance Dad. I prefer cash."

**Well, there's some insight to the family. Your thoughts, comments and questions are all appreciated. :-)**


End file.
